Romania

Country Stats

Population: 21.5 million

Area: 238,391 sq km

Capital: Bucharest

Language: Romanian

Currency: Romanian Leu

Unemployment rate: 5.7%

Religion: Romania is officially a secular state, but 86% of the population would define themselves as Eastern Orthodox, however less than 40% attend church regularly. 5.4% Evangelicals (Source: Operation World)

TEN is helping Romania in its recovery from dictatorship and social degradation. We support our Romanian partners in their work to serve the poor and share the love of Jesus. Some of the ways they currently help include caring for the dying with palliative care, sharing the truth and grace of Jesus with prisoners, and providing a drop-in centre and hot food for vulnerable elderly people.

Prayer Requests

The burden of a tragic past lies heavily upon Romania. The moral vacuum left by Ceaucescu’s Communists has been replaced by every kind of social evil. Substance abuse, prostitution and violent crime are all on the increase.

Operation World’s research suggests that although millions of Romanians have grown up as ‘Christians’, Many have had very little exposure to Jesus or the bible. Only 2-4% of Orthodox believers take their faith very seriously.

Pray for the large gypsy populations who live across Romania. Their cultures and traditions are misunderstood and often ridiculed by the general population. Many live on rubbish dumps or electricity plants in terrible poverty.

Pray for continued improvements in provisions for disabled people, the mentally ill, and orphans who despite lots of media attention still frequently have atrocious care and facilities.

According to National Statistics in Romania (INSSE) abortion is common practise across the country. Between 1990 and 2014 there were 7,819,253 legal abortions in Romania. Please pray for the lives of these unborn children and that mother’s will not be forced to have abortions.

Pray for wisdom and integrity amongst government leaders and advisors. For economic development, and implementation of policies that benefit the poorest and most vulnerable.

Pray for the church in Romania, that it is well equipped and obedient to God in serving its nation.

The Need

Romania greatly benefited from WWI by gaining considerable land. However, before WWII many of these acquired lands had been lost again. They entered WWII allied with France…changed to support Hitler…and then switched back again to maintain independence.

Despite being under the governance of USSR, in 1968, Romanian President Nicolae Ceauşescu refused to support Soviet intervention in Czechoslovakia. He received huge backing (over $1billion) from USA, and his condemnation of Afghan invasion earned him decoration from Great Britain. Meanwhile, unknown to the rest of the world, Romanians suffered painfully during his 25-year dictatorship. Thousands were imprisoned or repressed by the much-feared secret police, huge amounts of money were squandered on megalomaniacal, grandiose projects and the population lived in abject poverty.

As communism ended Nicolae Ceauşescu and his wife were assassinated. During his reign practicing a faith, freedom of speech and to a great extent creative thought were expelled and sadly lost on a generation. Christians experienced persecution, criminal records and were even martyred for their love of Jesus. Corruption and mafia-style elections shamed the government and many families starved with no access to food.

Romania became one of the newest EU members, joining in January 2007. Money from the EU has improved infrastructure, standards in state orphanages and urban development. However, the majority of people in rural Romania never see any of these benefits. The cost of living has increased yet their meagre incomes have remained the same. In Romania unemployment is at an all-time high, HIV is devastating a generation and many orphanages remain in appalling conditions under the radar of EU officials.

Today many thousands of people in rural communities live in squalor without the means to feed their families, heat their homes or pay for adequate healthcare.